The Girl He Used to Know was a middle-of-the-road read for me. I had hoped I would love it, but I ended up just liking it.

Jonathan meets Annika at their college's chess club, and through many games, falls in love with her. Annika is lovely and kind, though she has trouble navigating social situations and reading social cues. Their young love is tender and sweet, but tragedy strikes and they lose touch. Ten years later, they stumble upon each other and have a second chance at love.

My favorite part of this book is Annika. She's the sort of character you just want to hug and protect. She's sweet, unassuming, and kindhearted. She's also timid and shy because she understands that she's different from everyone else and doesn't want to draw attention to herself. As she gets comfortable in her relationship with Jonathan, and later living by herself in a big city, she slowly starts to come out of her shell and gains the confidence she's been seeking. Watching Annika grow through the story is heartwarming and fills me with so much joy.

I also really enjoyed Annika's interactions with her roommate Janice. Janice cares about her and looks out for her, coming to her rescue when others try to take advantage of her. She's the one Annika would bounce ideas off of, and go to for advice on interacting with boys and makeup and fashion. We'd all be so lucky to have a friend like Janice, and I'm glad Annika has her.

The story did come across as a little simple and naïve. It lacks the grit of real life and the messiness of real relationships. Things always work out for Annika, even if they look bleak for a while. But maybe that optimism works for this book, because it reinforces Annika's confidence that things will work out and that she can always trust in the good of others.

I also found the writing to be a little flat and emotionless. At first, I thought this was meant to portray the world from Annika's point of view since she has trouble understanding other people's emotions, but Jonathan's parts were the same. In addition, I found the drama at the end to be so odd and out of place. Its inclusion feels like a bit of emotional manipulation, as if to heighten the previously lacking emotional element in the story.

Still, I got enough out of the book that I'm glad I picked it up, even if it is a little simple and neat. The themes of this book provide a worthwhile reminder: that love is worth waiting for, that people are kind, and that things do work out all right in the end.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

I have been waffling on whether to read Six of Crows. I first picked it up from the library about a year ago, ended up returning it unread when it was due, then picked it up again recently. While the story sounded interesting enough: a heist by a criminal gang set in a fantasy world, I wasn't sure it would appeal to me. But I needn't have worried. Once the action started, it was an exciting and fun ride that doesn't stop.

But (and this is a big one for me), I had trouble getting into it initially. It took me a good 100 pages before I was immersed enough into the world that I was able to just read and enjoy it, without having to stop and think about what the author meant with this or that. This book lacks the smooth introduction that you would normally get with a book set in a different universe. It reads like the author expects you to have already been introduced to it, which makes sense because this book is set in the same universe as her previous books. But I've never read those books and without having that background, I found the initiation into this book to be pretty rough.

That being said, once I got past it and it became clear what the plot of this book is, the fun really started. I found all the characters to be likable and charming, even though they're criminals who come from tough backgrounds and have had to make brutal choices. One thing that is a little odd is that all the characters are teenagers, but I constantly imagine them to be in their thirties because of the way they talk and act. The plot is fast-paced and action-packed, never slowing down once it gets going.

In fact, once the fun starts, it doesn't stop... literally. The book ends on a cliffhanger. I look forward to digging into the second book, which should be a smoother ride now that I'm familiar with the universe.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I'm so bitterly disappointed with In Another Time, I'm not sure where to even start. From the book blurb, it's a historical fiction with a little bit of romance and mystery thrown in, which seems interesting enough. But it did nothing for me from pretty much the first page, and it did not get better no matter how much I hung in there and kept reading.

A large part of the problem is that there is so much telling and no showing, which is the biggest sin of writing. For example, Hanna is a violinist who plays with passion and fire. How do we the reader know this? Well, we are explicitly told this, many times. Hanna and Max "make love", which happens more than a dozen times in the book, and we know each time because it says that they "make love." We are told that the two main characters really like each other, but are never shown more than a skin-deep physical attraction.

The sentences are so simple, the construction is plain, and when you add them up to paragraphs and chapters, they all come across as basic and uninteresting. The characters are flat, with no self-awareness or growth, and lacking any sort of depth that made them feel alive or real. The dialog is so stilted and cliche. The relationship between Max and Hanna is awkward and a little creepy, with Max badgering Hanna until she relents and goes out with him. There is no spark in the writing, no creativity in the plot, nothing that took a hold of me and surprised me, not even a little.

The unfolding of the plot wasn't interesting. It meandered along, with events happening when it was convenient to move the plot along and not because it made sense based on what was going on. Even the mystery that the book blurb alludes to is tackled with so little thought and originality, with no explanation other than some generic words thrown in.

In the end, I didn't develop any kind of connection with this story. If I had to use one word to describe my impression of how it was written, it would be: Lazy. That is the honest truth.

Readaroo Rating: 1 star

Bad Blood details the meteoric rise and subsequent shameful fall of Silicon Valley darling Elizabeth Holmes and her blood-testing company Theranos. It captures all the manipulations and lies that Elizabeth and Sunny, her boyfriend and second-in-command at the company, spewed in an effort to scam the public and investors into believing in a technology that doesn't exist and no current-day science has proven is even possible.

The people I feel for the most are the employees who got sucked into this web of deceit, and when they realized what was going on and tried to raise concerns, were summarily shut down and bullied into silence. They were forced to do illegal activities and make up non-existent products for the sake of getting customers, and then threatened with expulsion and lawsuits if they tried to push back.

To be honest, this book was a little sickening to read. A large part of that is due how easily investors and partners were taken in with whatever Elizabeth Holmes said and promised, even if there was not a shred of proof. These were all worldly and sophisticated people who inexplicably chose to put aside their intellect just to stick their heads in the sand. It was utterly baffling. They were also all old men interacting with a young, blond, blue-eyed woman, which makes you wonder how much of what they believed is based on her looks and youth.

While this book had a lot of interesting tidbits, I did find it to drag on a bit, especially the parts about Theranos suing this person and that person. I found all that legal wrangling to be quite boring. Even though there was an interesting story in this book, I feel I could probably have gotten the same out of just reading the author's Wall Street Journal articles.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Daisy Jones & The Six chronicles the rise to superstardom of the fictional band that came to define rock 'n' roll in the late 1907s, as well as the troubles that subsequently led to the band splitting up seemingly overnight and its members never playing together again.

Going in, I was a little bit wary that I wouldn't connect with this story. I wasn't alive during the 1970s and rock 'n' roll isn't my preferred music genre, so I don't have much in common with the book's settings. But this is Taylor Jenkins Reid, so of course I was hooked right from the start.

Told via interview transcripts of band members and various friends and family, it reads like an intimate first person account. I know some readers felt this interview format made the book feel a bit impersonal, but it had the opposite effect for me. When you can see into so many characters, it automatically makes all them feel real and fleshed out, with their individual personalities, quirks, and baggage.

The story is raw and evocative, filled with sweet, complicated characters I can't help but connect with. There's complexity and nuance in the way Reid captures the relationships between the band members, each flawed in their own way. With their every success, I cheered for them. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what happens next.

For me, the only small letdown was the ending. To be fair, I can't quite separate out if my disappointment is just that I wish the band had stayed together forever, making music and being happy, instead of splitting up. I wanted certain things to happen with the story, but they obviously didn't, and that left me with an unfinished feeling.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the sort of author who can write about anything, even a topic that I have no interest in or knowledge of, and still make it riveting and poignant. Even though this is an account of a fictional group, I found myself wishing they were real so that I could bask some more in the magic of this band.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I feel so conflicted about The Hating Game. It was like I was playing out my own version of the love/hate game with the book while reading it.

Lucy and Josh work in the same office, but cannot stand the sight of each other. They trade daily barbs and insults, fueled by their mutual hate and dislike. Or, could it be the hate is a mask for something else?

There is so much I enjoyed about this book. I blew through the first two-thirds in the blink of an eye. Josh is adorable, brooding and silent on the outside, but sweet and squishy on the inside. The hate-banter between Josh and Lucy is filled with clever and witty barbs that had me chuckling to myself page after page. And the tension between the two characters is so visceral and delicious, pretending to hate each other when really they want each other bad. Yep, I can get on board with all that.

But... Lucy is so weird and she gets weirder as the book progresses. She's hyper, easily freaked out, a people-pleaser, and lacks self-confidence. She takes things the wrong way, so she'll perceive slights when there are none and refuse to believe otherwise. She's always searching for signs that Josh hates her, even with plenty of evidence to the contrary. This happens more as she and Josh get closer to each other, not less, which makes no sense. And she's constantly anxious over what others think of her, as if they have nothing better to do than waste their brain cycles on her. Eesh!

I found the last third of the book to really drag on. Everything I had previously disliked only intensifies. Josh is endlessly reassuring Lucy that she is valued and liked, while she has one freak out after another. It's exhausting to read and think about. And instead of their usual banter, their dialogue switches to the most mushy saccharine language, leaving even me (a hopeless romantic) cringing with discomfort.

In the end, I'm glad I picked up this book for the first two thirds. The last third of the book was so disappointing that I'm just going to pretend it didn't exist.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Behold a Fair Woman is the fifth and last book of the Mordecai Tremaine series. In this one, Mordecai is taking a much needed holiday away from crime when murder strikes, and he has no choice but to get involved and help out.

Like the others in this cozy mystery series, this book's plot unfolds slowly. In fact, the murder doesn't occur until about half way through book after we have met all the potential suspects. What follows is the slow and steady reveal of clues and of secrets, which everyone seems to have aplenty. It culminates in the big reveal which wraps everything up with comforting satisfaction.

This isn't the most exciting murder mystery series out there, but there's something charming and relaxing about it. Even though the books are about murder, they're a fun and light read, which perfectly suits my mood at the moment.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

The Monk of Mokha is the true story of a young Yemeni American man named Mokhtar who became fascinated with coffee, especially its origin in Yemen. He wanted to elevated the quality of coffee there and bring it to the world, while also ensuring that the local coffee farmers are paid a more fair share for their hard work so that they can make a living wage. While Mokhtar was working to achieve this, Yemen was embroiled in a civil war, making his mission even harder and sometimes mortally perilous.

Even though the premise of this book sounds interesting and so many people loved it, I honestly found the book to be pretty boring for the most part. (And I feel so bad for saying so!) I think this is definitely a case where my interests just didn't align with what the book is offering. I drink coffee occasionally, but that's as far as my interest in coffee goes. So to read chapter upon chapter on the origins of coffee, its varietals, its growing and processing methodologies, etc. made my eyes glaze over. There are also many pages with dry facts about the Yemeni civil war, most of which I've already read about elsewhere.

The only thing I found interesting was the details about how much work goes into growing and processing coffee plants before they become the coffee beans we all know, and how little of that effort is translated into fair pay for the farmers doing the grunt work. It is certainly something that is deserving of attention, and I'm glad the book highlighted this gross pay inequity.

Otherwise, this book was a pretty disappointing read for me. I debated not-finishing it, but thought if I held out, it would get more interesting. And while the last few chapters were certainly more entertaining as they showcased Mokhtar racing to reach his goals, it just never became fully compelling to me. I think this is a case where my lack of interest in coffee really impeded my ability to get into the book.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Jane Harper is the queen of character-driven mysteries, and The Lost Man adds yet another feather to her cap.

Three brothers meet under the unrelenting sun of the outback. Older brother Nathan and younger brother Bub stare down at the dead figure of their middle brother Cameron, who died of dehydration and exposure to the elements after leaving his fully stocked car and wandering nine miles away. The family gathers at the homestead to mourn Cameron's passing, and what follows is the slow surfacing of emotions and secrets that have entangled them for years.

While the mystery of how Cameron died helps to propel the plot along, that isn't the heart of this book. Instead, this is really a shrewd family drama with complex characters. Each person comes with their own expectations and experiences, bringing with them sadness and fear, but also hope for the future. Harper is able to sketch each of them into sharp relief, and I found the quiet and insightful study of the different characters to be a real highlight.

The mystery itself is interesting, starting off immediately with the kind of conundrum I love in a murder mystery: why did Cameron leave his fully stocked car to venture out into the unforgiving elements to begin with? As the mystery unfolds, there were plenty of twists and turns, making you question everyone and everything. And the ending is satisfying and thorough.

I admit this isn't the sort of book I would have normally picked up, being set in the outback with lots of dirt and sun and dreary, monochromatic landscapes. Just thinking about reading those sorts of passages makes me feel tired. And I did find the initial pages like that, slow and dull. But as I kept on reading, the story grabbed ahold of me and before I realized it, I couldn't put it down anymore.

I can't think of another author who so deftly marries character studies and mysteries the way Jane Harper does. Her books are something to be savored, which is a must while I wait impatiently for her to write more.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I Found You follows three convergent story lines. Alice finds a man sitting on the beach outside her house with no memory of himself or how he got there, and invites him in. Lily is a newlywed who grows anxious when her husband does not return home after work one day. And two decades ago, teenagers Gray and Kirsty are holidaying with their parents when a troubled young man starts paying attention to Kirsty.

This book starts off so strong. Even with three story lines, it seamlessly introduced all the characters and drew me in immediately. Lisa Jewell has a real knack for crafting interesting characters that feel real and believable, and I find her writing style to be engrossing.

But for me, the story started feeling flat towards the middle when the characters began to behave oddly. Alice clings to the man with amnesia. Her daughter had to be the voice of reason and tell her that if she had found a dog, she would have done everything she could to reunite it with its family, but she is trying to keep this man from returning to his regular life. Gray and Kirsty did not trust or even like the young man, but they keep agreeing to go hang out with him. And Lily is self-centered, demanding that everyone just drop what they are doing to help her. It's frustrating to read about people so lacking in awareness.

Another issue is that the climax of the book is dragged out, page by page, with lots of interspersed story lines in between. When you stretch an emotionally charged scene out over a hundred pages, a little bit here, then a little bit later, it loses a lot of its momentum. At some point, I just don't care anymore and want this sort of emotional manipulation to be over and for the story to move on.

The twists in here are fine, though not completely surprising, but I don't mind that. The ending does wrap up everything, though maybe a little too neatly. Everyone gets a happy ending, which feels a bit contrived. And for how long the middle part of the story was stretched out, the wrap up feels rushed to me.

In the end, this was a middle-of-the-road read for me. I enjoyed Lisa Jewell's writing and the three converging story lines were interesting, but I found the second half of the book to be too drawn out and contrived for me to totally buy-in.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars